The Chicago Challenge of Champions tennis exhibition tournament was held on January 4–9, 1983 at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois.[1] The promoter was Andrzej Kepinski, and this was the first year of sponsorship by Miller Lite.[1] This was the third year of the Challenge.
| Singles | |
|---|---|
| 1983 Lite Challenge of Champions | |
| Champion |  Ivan Lendl |
| Runner-up |  Jimmy Connors |
| Score | 4–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Draw | 8 |
Ivan Lendl won in the final 4–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 against Jimmy Connors.
Dates, schedule and attendance
editMatch play began at 6:30 p.m. each evening from Tuesday, January 4, 1982 through Friday, January 7, 1982. The semi-finals were held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 8, 1982, and the finals were held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, 1982.[1]
| Date | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 4 | Jimmy Connors vs. Henri Leconte | Bjorn Borg vs. Vitas Gerulaitis | Ivan Lendl vs Sandy Mayer |
| January 5 | Vitas Gerulaitis vs. Henri Leconte | John Mc Enroe vs Sandy Mayer | Ivan Lendl vs. Eliot Teltscher |
| January 6 | Vitas Gerulaitis vs. Jimmy Connors | Bjorn Borg vs. Henri Leconte | John Mc Enroe vs. Eliot Teltscher |
| January 7 | Sandy Mayer vs Eliot Teltscher | Ivan Lendl vs. John Mc Enroe | Bjorn Borg vs. Jimmy Connors |
The attendance for Friday's matches was approximately 15,000.[2] Attendance at Saturday's semi-finals was 15,820, and according to the promoter this was a sell-out of the stadium when configured for tennis.[3][4] Attendance at Sunday's finals was 11,416 [5]
Purse
editThe total purse was $250,000. The winner received $100,00, the runner-up $50,000, third and fourth-place finishers received $30,000 each, fifth and sixth-place finishers received $12,500, and the seventh and eighth-place finishers received $7,500.[1] Individual players also received undisclosed amounts for appearing at the event from the sponsors/promoters.[6]
Players
edit
Ivan Lendl (champion)
Jimmy Connors (final)- John McEnroe (semifinals)
Björn Borg (semifinals)- Vitas Gerulaitis (round-robin)
- Eliot Teltscher (round-robin)
Henri Leconte (round-robin)- Sandy Mayer (round-robin)
Draw
editFinals
edit| Semi-finals [7] | Final [8] | ||||||||||||||
| John McEnroe
| 1 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Jimmy Connors
| 6 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Jimmy Connors
| 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Ivan Lendl
| 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||
| Ivan Lendl
| 6 | 7 | |||||||||||||
 Björn Borg
| 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||
Group A
edit| John McEnroe
|
Ivan Lendl
|
Eliot Teltscher
|
Sandy Mayer
|
RR W–L | Set W–L | Game W–L | Standings | ||
| John McEnroe
|
6–3, 6–2 [9] | 7–6, 6–4 | 6–3, 6–4 | 3-0 | 6-0 | 37-22 | 1 | ||
| Ivan Lendl
|
3–6, 2–6 | 7–6, 2–6, 6–2 [10] | 6–2, 7–5 | 2-1 | 4-3 | 33-33 | 2 | ||
| Eliot Teltscher
|
4–6, 1–6 | 6–7, 6–2, 2–6 | 6–3, 7–6 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 37-37 | 3 | ||
| Sandy Mayer
|
3–6, 4–6 | 2–6, 5–7 | 3–6, 6–7 | 0-3 | 0-6 | 23-48 | 4 |
Group B
edit| Björn Borg
|
Jimmy Connors
|
Vitas Gerulaitis
|
 Henri Leconte
|
RR W–L | Set W–L | Game W–L | Standings | ||
| Björn Borg
|
6–4, 1–6, 6–2 | 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 | 6–2, 6–7, 6–1 | 3-0 | 6-3 | 47-34 | 1 | ||
| Jimmy Connors
|
4–6, 6–1, 2–6 | 6–1, 6–4 | 6–4, 2–6, 6–1 | 2-1 | 5-3 | 38-29 | 2 | ||
| Vitas Gerulaitis
|
6–4, 2–6, 4–6 | 1–6, 4–6 | 7–6, 6–2 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 30-36 | 3 | ||
| Henri Leconte
|
2–6, 7–6, 1–6 | 4–6, 6–2, 1–6 | 6–7, 2-6 | 0-3 | 2-6 | 29-45 | 4 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kay, Linda (November 16, 1982). "Chicago's Challenge Accepted". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. C3.
- ^ "This year, the Challenge a box-office success". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. January 7, 1983. p. D2.
- ^ Kay, Linda (January 9, 1983). "Connors, Lendl again". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. C2.
- ^ Kay, Linda (January 8, 1983). "Borg turns back Connors". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. N1.
- ^ Kay, Linda (January 10, 1983). "Lendl's mighty serves too much for Connors". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. C1.
- ^ Kay, Linda (January 2, 1983). "Challenge courts top stars". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. C6.
- ^ "NY Times 'Connors and Lendl Will Meet in Final'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ "NY Times 'LENDL DEFEATS CONNORS'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ "NY Times 'McENROE DEFEATS LENDL FOR FIRST TIME IN YEAR'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ "Del Rio News Herald excerpt". January 6, 1983. Retrieved November 23, 2014.